US embassy reopened in Havana
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Saturday, August 15, 2015
The Embassy of the United States in Havana, Cuba, formally reopened yesterday. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke at the ceremony marking the reopening. He hailed the event as a momentous point in history but emphasised that the US would continue to drive for democratic change in Cuba. The ceremony was also attended by three former US Marines, who had lowered the flag when the embassy was closed, and now transferred the flag to current Marines who raised it again.
The two countries have not enjoyed bilateral relations for more than fifty years, since President Eisenhower ordered the closure of the embassy in 1961. However the United States maintained an Interests Section from 1977 onwards, under the Swiss Embassy. On July 20, 2015, Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro officially re-established relations between the two neighbours.
On Thursday, the former long-term Cuban leader Fidel Castro wrote a letter criticising the continued US trade embargo, which will continue despite the thawing in relations. The Republican-dominated US Congress has refused to lift the embargo. There was also discontent from some Cuban dissidents who felt that they should have been invited to the ceremony.
Sources[]
- “US flag raised over reopened Cuba embassy in Havana” — BBC, August 15, 2015
- Halimah Abdullah. “American Flag Flies at Embassy in Cuba for First Time Since 1961” — NBC News, August 14, 2015
- Karen DeYoung. “In historic Cuba visit, Kerry presides over raising of U.S. flag over embassy in Havana” — Washington Post, August 14, 2015
- “Cuban flag flies at embassy in Washington” — USA Today, July 20, 2015
- August 15, 2015